[rootusrootus]

> Puberty blockers have long been used to treat precocious puberty

That seems orthogonal, yes? Delaying puberty until the body gets into the usual range of growth is arguably improving something that was otherwise going off the rails. Delaying puberty from normal onset until after the body has otherwise stopped growing is a different use case, different intended goal. It does not seem unreasonable to have different expectations.

[a_shovel]

Puberty blockers for transgender and potentially transgender teens aren't meant to be taken all the way through to adulthood, if that's what you mean by "otherwise stopped growing." Ideally they're taken just long enough for them to get counseling and come to a decision, a couple years at max.

Apart from that, "different use case, different intended goal" is cause for what I'd call "ordinary levels of scientific uncertainty." A 13-year-old just starting puberty is not so different from an 8-year-old just starting puberty to justify denying a medication to one by law while still prescribing it to the other without concern.